Not one of the most popular free agents, but Eduardo Rodriguez is still a big name. He has just inked a deal with the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers are a team that has been in a rebuild but seemingly are starting to come out of it. They won 77 games and finished third in the American League Central Division.
For the Tigers, this is a major sign that the team is planning on competing in 2022. The deal is reported to be worth five years, $77 million. It was first reported by Cody Stavenhagen of the Athletic. Eduardo Rodriguez can also earn an extra $3 million in incentives, with the deal totaling out to be worth $80 million.
Rodriguez can opt-out after two years.
E-Rod has spent his first six seasons with the Boston Red Sox. While there he threw 856 2/3 career innings, pitched to a 4.16 ERA, and threw 892 Strikeouts. The lefty has been a consistent starter for Boston but rejected the qualifying offer that the Red Sox made. He is not a typical ace pitcher, but he will post an above-average or league average ERA. His best season came in 2019, when he posted a 3.81 ERA over w03 1/3 innings. He has never made an All-Star game but finished 6th in the AL Cy Young voting.
Rodríguez is guaranteed $28MM over the first two seasons of his contract. He can earn an additional $2MM over the first two years in incentives based on innings totals. Rodríguez’s deal will have $49MM in remaining guarantees from 2023-25, at which point he’ll have to decide whether to trigger his opt-out provision. This is the biggest acquisition to date.
This is breaking news.
More to Come.
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